Re: Best/Most Distinctive Drydowns?

Distinctive drydown?

I've said this before and I'll say it again: On my skin, Terre d'Hermes smells like marijuana (the leaves, not the smoke) and other minerals/rocks in its drydown. Kind of spooks my boyfriend every time I wear it.

Re: Best/Most Distinctive Drydowns?

I like your list except that now that I have tried a wide spectrum of sandalwood fragrances, I am less enthusiastic about Santal Noble than I was, say 1-2 years ago. That cedar chest smell is too prominent in this sandalwood fragrance. Its still a good fragrance, but its not the sandalwood powerhouse that I thought it once was. I also havent tried M-Mandarine, Habanite and Dia.

I also like the drydowns of GIT (that ambergris base), Ungaro I (theres no mistaking that boozy wormwood note!) and Kouros (sexy nastiness!).

Creed's wonderful Feuille Verte has a distinctive jasmin drydown. Are there other fragrances which have a jasmin drydown ?

Re: Best/Most Distinctive Drydowns?

The two drydowns that drive me insane with pleasure are:
Monsieur Balmain, after the Love's Fresh Lemons opening, it settles into the most fascinating grey ash accord, that unfortunately, disappears way too quickly.
The other is Eau d'Hermès - opens with lemon and dries down to a wonderful cumin note, which I find very sexual - others have told me it smells like B.O. Cedarmoth's Basenotes review, 'Grace Kelly's handbag stuffed with Robert Mitchum's jockstrap', hit the bull's-eye!

Last edited by Kevin Guyer; 26th May 2007 at 05:02 AM.
Reason: capriciousness!

Re: Best/Most Distinctive Drydowns?

On a related note (pardon the horrendous pun), I just had a freaky revelatory drydown experience experience: I've been wearing Cuir d'Oranger lately, and the (magnificent) drydown keeps reminding me of something. What? It finally came to me (don't laugh or throw vegetables please): Patou pour Homme. I kid you not. Just to make sure I wasn't crazy, I checked the notes:

Cuir d'Oranger - Orange oil from Valencia, pettigrain, orange flowers from Tunisia, jasmin from Egypt, iris absolute, leather with birch tar, Spanish ciste, oak moss and patchouli. (Cuir d'Oranger also seems to have a lot of amber in the base, though it's not listed.)

Granted, there's not a lot of overlap, and the resemblance comes only late in the drydown of Cuir d'Oranger. Still, I'm going to have to do a side by side comparison and see what comes of it. It could be the leather/cistus/amber/patchouli combo, or it could just be I'm crazy.

Re: Best/Most Distinctive Drydowns?

Of course, what everybody else has already said, but have you ever smelled the drydown of Balenciaga pour Homme? The ending is a rich combination of precious woods and spices (principally cinnamon), and (I think) something with a heavy dose of cinnamic acid. I would say benzoin, but benzoin would be more powdery, and this definitely is not! Maybe it's Peru or Tolu balsam. The woods-spice thing is vaguely reminiscent of MPG Santal Noble, but only vaguely...

Anyway, an awesome drydown. Check it out if you can find it (though it is getting harder and harder to find).

Yr good bud,

JaimeB

"Why spend life seeking that which does not satisfy? Why remain a slave, when freedom waits? Let your life shine; illumine the world with your truth!"

Re: Best/Most Distinctive Drydowns?

I don't want to repeat the choices so far, so I would mention a new, which is not so popular, yet there were days when I kept sniffing myself don't believing something can smell this good: Dali Laguna PH.

Re: Best/Most Distinctive Drydowns?

I love Zino Davidoff's drydown. In the beginning it comes off quite sweet (I always catch blueberries), and it seems like it might be a bit too much. Yet, it dries down very softly. Sexy, romantic, and perfect for night wear. This will be my official summer night fragrance.

Re: Best/Most Distinctive Drydowns?

Almost all of my favourite scents are mentioned above. The one I would add is relatively mainstream - Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree. A moss dominated drydown is hardly distinctive (to go back to the original question), but the lingering cardamon notes (and the rest) just keep it evolving and changing like a spiralling jazz riff - (John Coltrane playing 'My Favourite Things' perhaps?)